What people are really saying about Dogsbite.org & Culleen Lynn…..

What is Dogsbite.org?

“Colleen has even developed her own vocabulary to deal with pit bulls, their owners, and her supporters. Pit Nutters is one of the nicer things she calls dog owners. Or how about this one: any veterinarian or scientist who posts a study or information that doesn’t support her world view is called a “science whore”. Nice, right?The medical journal “Annals of Surgery” has even written an article debunking Ms. Lynn’s data. Her numbers, pictures, and statistics are all taken from press accounts. If the news story calls the dog a pit bull, it goes into her database. Even if the story is later corrected, if it’s discovered that the dog in an entirely different breed, Colleen’s account does not change. Hardly scientifically accurate data. The fact that a medical journal felt the need to address this issue shows just how pervasive her rhetoric has proven to be.

Colleen saves the worst of her vitriol for pit pull terrier type dog owners. She has a position paper called “Pit Bull Owners”. Here are a few of her contentions:

Pittie owners are “not normal dog owners”. According to her there is a sinister reason that we are drawn to these type of dog.

Pit Bull Terrier type dog owners will try to disguise their dog’s breed name. According to Ms. Lynn, we have always tried to come up new breed names so that we can fool people into thinking these are a totally different breed of dog.

Pit Bull Terrier type dog owners have a “don’t blame the dog” mentality. According to her, no matter what the studies say, no matter what the owner has done or not done to the dog, it is always the dog’s fault when there is an incident. She says we (the pit nutters) search for ways to blame the victim for the incident.

One of her contentions that I found most humorous was that we latch on to the few dogs who have a decent temperament and make them into breed ambassadors, trying to convince people that these dogs are not dangerous animals. that they aren’t slathering beasts who are waiting for the right moment to kill us in our sleep. (If my dog killed me in my sleep it would be because I would asphyxiate from the deadly pittie gas).

Power dog owners have a “Lion Tamer Complex”. Which means that we think we have the skills to keep our deadly dogs from wrecking havoc across the country. Not because our dogs are trained and socialized…….but because we are in fact wild-animal trainers.

And finally, with few exceptions, it is criminals who are drawn to these types of dog. There is no refuting the fact that there are unsavory people who are drawn to strong, powerful dogs. But please do not tar all of us with that brush. I’m an almost 60 year old former social worker. Hardly the type to be considered a “thug”.

Regardless of what factual information we try and share with the world, Colleen Lynn comes up with a statement to refute it.”

The Truth Behind Dogsbite.org

Dogsbite.org is not an “expert” organization when it comes to canine behavior. There, I’ve said it.

While it seems that lately, several media outlets have been treating them like they have a particular knowledge on the subject of dog bites and attacks (I’ll get to a possible “why” on that later in the post), it doesn’t erase the reality that dogsbite.org is simply a website run almost entirely by an individual person who has an expertise in web design, access to google, and a desire to seek revenge on an attack that happened to her several years. Those are the qualifications behind the website. And it runs no deeper than that. And treating the website as anything more than that is a recipe bad information that will lead to less safe circumstances for people and dogs. Let me explain.

When “Science” and Fanaticism Collude

“Not only does Ms. Lynn/Dogsbite.org make claim to having “data” relating to “pit bull” attacks, but she also makes astounding claims about canine behavior and genetics, often presenting these claims as “factual.”

Prior to the inclusion in the Bini et al study, there is no evidence of Ms. Colleen Lynn or her website being cited in any other published, or peer reviewed article.

A large number of pages and entries on Ms. Lynn’s website should have given Dr. Bini immediate pause in his use of her as a reference:

The fact that Ms. Lynn clearly gleaned all her “data” from media sources apparently was acceptable to Dr. Bini.

What is more shocking is the fact that Ms. Lynn refers to people who own or are accepting of pit bulls as “pit nutters” at least 168 times on her website/blog, apparently did not give any pause to Bini either.

Bini also did not seem deterred as using Dogsbite.org as a reference despite the fact that Ms. Lynn created a “Maul Talk Manual” in which in over four web pages she lists dozens of words she invented to describe “pit bull owners and their advocates.”

Ms. Lynn’s list of invented words and her made-up definitions should have caused very serious concern as to the reliability of her claims, “data” and bias:”

“Having continued to research Colleen Lynn I’ve discovered some very interesting ommissions. The owner of the dog that allegedly bit Ms. Lynn has never been referenced in print. The dog was allegedly immediately euthanized, which is unorthodox, as most dogs that cause severe injury are held in quarantine, and then ethanized and the head sent for rabies testing. I have not yet been able to find a police report of the incident. Ms. Lynn has not filed suit against the dog’s owner in Seattle, or King County. Instead, Ms. Lynn would far prefer to cause harm to all of the dogs that were not involved in her alleged bite, and to all of the owners of those dogs.

I found a whole lot more background when researching Ms. Lynn, she is quite the self promoter, and far from being unable to work at her chosen profession, she is now the mouthpiece for “Kill ‘em All” Kory Nelson. Her business Vain Notion lists her clientele, and it is available to anyone running a search engine. (It appears that the referred to client list has been removed as of this date).

But the most interesting pieces of information in the blog are actually contained far down in the comments Two letters purportedly written by Kory Nelson attempting to help another municipality in passing and defending BSL. I am copying them in their entirety below. They are a must read – the level of detail and opinion masquerading as fact are astounding.”

“Let’s look at the real numbers-
“Over 7,000 children are hospitalized or killed due to gun violence every year, according to a new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics.” MSNBC writes. “3,000 children die from gun injuries before making it to the hospital, bringing the total number of injured or killed adolescents to 10,000 each year.”

In the 2009 Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID), 2,149 children injured were accidents.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in 2012 that “firearm-related deaths continue as 1 of the top 3 causes of death in American youth.” Did you notice that? “Firearm-related deaths continue as 1 of the top 3 causes of death in American youth.”Not pit bulls.

— In 2011,14,675 people were wounded in an unintentional shooting but survived.

— Most unintentional shooting deaths occur in the home (65 percent), based on data from 16 states. The most common context of the death (30 percent) was playing with the gun.

The reality? Guns pose a bigger threat to our children and families than any dog. The reality? Lack of supervision, irresponsibility and recklessness – all actions that can have a tragic ending because of human error.

Even more reality? Guns have and always will wreck havoc and create a massive body count far greater than any breed of dog ever will.”

The Academic Impostor Behind the Pit Bull Hysteria

“Colleen Lynn is a menace; she’s a web designer who was once bitten by a dog, and has been on a vicious campaign to eliminate the pit bull type ever since. Still, she makes no pretense to academic credibility. Merritt Clifton, on the other hand, very much pretends to be an eminent scholar, and is truly dangerous.

In the first few minutes of the video linked here, for instance, you will see him pronounce: “I have more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications.”

This would seem truly impressive — that’s a hefty body of published work. It’s troubling, however, that not one of these publications shows up in a search on JSTOR, the comprehensive academic database online. Nor can I find a single example of his copious oeuvre in Harvard’s library, which can also be searched online. One hundred publications, admirably invisible.”

Investigate Dogsbite.org and CEO

“Signing this petition would help urge the Mayor Lee Leffingwell and the Austin Texas authorities, to do an investigation on a supposed support group for bite victims, called Dogsbite.org. However they are using victims as a monetary gain to sustain their liveliehood and do not truly care for any victims. Dogsbite.org is known to use thrown out statistics and has been debunked repeatedly so, by advocates and experts. More to the point DBO only wishes to kill the pit type dogs, they do not care whom they hurt in the process.”

Stop giving false information on pitbulls and rottweilers!

“I was searching online for good family dog breeds when pitbulls came up. I know 100% that pitbulls are amazing dogs, but I wanted to see what the internet said. The first four links that come up are from dogsbite.org. I clicked on the first link and it said,” Pictured are the two most deadly dog breeds in America: pit bull terriers and rottweilers.” I know for a fact that pomeranians are more scary than pitbulls and rottweilers. I doubt that dogsbite.orgactually has had any encounters with a pitbull or rottweiler.”

“The misguided, unfeeling, reveling in ignorance fools who man this website share responsibility for the pain and misery that thousands of families have had to experience when their loving pets and companions have been taken from them by a local government and gassed simply because killing them is part of the warped pit bull “final solution.” Dogsbite.Org deals in bad statistics, debunked fallacies and anti-dog propaganda that has turned into cruel legislation in communities all over the country. Their tactics succeed because craven political hacks would rather kill harmless pets than risk losing the votes of PETA members, dog breed ignoramuses and bigots.

“Team Pit-a-Full, Chef David Edelstein, and their affiliates / endorsement are not in the business of telling others how they should think or what conclusions they should draw from any issue. Team Pit-a-Full is about supplying factual information (and the source from where the information was taken) to the public about Pit Bulls, Breed Specific Legislation, responsible ownership of Pit Bulls and ALL Animals, and
proven methods of keeping dogs and the community safe.

Not all sources of information on the internet share these same ideals. Some organizations believe that personal fears and insecurities, manipulated data and statistics, and instilling fear is a justified method of bringing information to the general public. One such organization is http://www.Dogsbite.org founded and maintained by Colleen Lynn of Texas.”

10 Things Dogsbite.org Is Trying To Pass Off As Facts

Who They Are

Dogsbite.org is a website dedicated to wiping out the American Pit Bull Terrier and other bully breed dogs. They are on a mission, charged by their leader, a former bite victim, who has little to no expert knowledge in these types of dogs. The website is vast and has a following, however there are numerous “facts” on the site that are questionable at best. Reading through them and doing accurate fact checking shows a pattern that is misleading and down right untrue.

Here are 10 things that Dogsbite.org would like you to believe as being true facts however have no basis or are opinions rather than facts.

1) It’s The Breed Not The Deed

For years, the slogan “Punish the deed not the breed” has been yelled, chanted and plastered everywhere when the debate comes up about the dangers of pit bulls. Through admission of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there is no accurate way to determine if one breed of domesticated dog is more dangerous or prone to attacks as opposed to any other breed.

Also through temperament testing, where properly trained dogs are evaluated, American Pit Bull Terriers scored very well as being suitable pets, with only 5 % showing unprovoked aggression. Compared to Chihuahuas that showed 11 % unprovoked aggression. This does lead us to believe that trained pit bulls are less dangerous then trained chihuahuas and that it is left at the fault of the owner not the dog.

2) A Pit Bull Is Obviously a Pit Bull

There are around 20 different breeds of dogs that have similar physical traits as American Pit Bull Terriers. Many people can’t tell the difference between these dogs. Ca De Bou is a Mallorquin Bulldog, not a Pit Bull. Cane Corso breed also has very similar features and by the looks of them, they could fit into the “pit bull type” category but they too are not Pit Bulls. According to the CDC and AVMA the only way to prove or accurately identify a breed of dog is to do DNA testing. Since people don’t want to test every dog they see, they will just give a general description like “it looked like a pit bull” or make a guess “it was a pit bull” without actually knowing.

3) Media Coverage is Accurate About Pit Bulls

We all know that you can’t believe everything you see or hear on the news. Media coverage isn’t always accurate and certainly doesn’t do as much as it could to get facts instead of focusing so much on stories. Yes Pit Bulls can inflict massive damage onto a person so when one does it tends to make the news headlines. But what about the poodle that bit a kid over 10 times in the course of a only a few moments and left the child covered in blood? A poodle isn’t a controversial as a pit bull. Its been proven that the media will forego stories for better ones or one that will at least stir up the viewers.

4) All Pit Bulls Are Unpredictable

Well this one is true but only to a point. You can not predict what any domesticated or wild animal is going to do in every situation. It is impossible. Every dog has the ability to snap or become aggressive, it all about the environment they are in and how they have been trained. This, though, does not mean they will not bite! Every dog, cat, pet and person is capable of killing something or someone, It doesn’t have to be premeditated. To simply say that Pit Bulls are unpredictable is to completely ignore the existence of all other breeds when kept in the context in which DogsBite.org has it.

5) Pit Bulls Don’t Pass Any Temperament Testing

Temperament testing with dogs is subjective, it is based on trained dogs. Basic training means that the dog listens to the handler, can walk properly on a leash and understands basic commands such as sit and stay. There is no elaborate doggy boot camp that the dogs have to attend first, just that they be basically trained. Properly trained Pit Bulls do pass basic temperament tests, this means they do not show unprovoked aggression just because they are Pit Bulls. Every breed will have some percentage that shows unprovoked aggression even when trained. Every breed will have some percentage that is not trained and that has severe aggression issues including biting people, attacking other animals, or mauling children. These acts do not pertain only to Pit Bulls. They are universal traits of non-socialized, untrained and not properly cared for dog regardless of breed.

6) Getting Rid of Breed to Fix the Deed

This is an interesting one because not so long ago Rottweilers and Dobermans were in the same spot they now have Pit Bulls in. In articles found on the CDC’s website they state that if Pit Bulls were to be removed from society another breed would simply takes its place. However, Dogsbite.org doesn’t see that way. They think that by removing the Pit Bulls from society that magically the deeds of dog owners will also disappear. They are saying that people involved in dog fighting will not longer do it if they have no access to Pit Bulls. Which is not the way society or gangs work. The groups who support dog fighting will find another breed to use, Rottweilers are probably a top contender for fighting rings.

7) Most Law Makers Are Afraid To Take Action

This is unfounded. If law makers were afraid to take action then people wouldn’t be in fear of new laws and ordinances that prevent them from keeping their pets. Groups of responsible Pit Bull owners wouldn’t be trying to change the laws that are in place. Innocent dogs wouldn’t be destroyed because of their appearance.

8) Lowering The Pit Bull Population Will Lower The Number of Dog Attacks

Again, most dogs that attack are not trained properly! The facts on dog bites are pretty easy to understand, most dog involved in attacks and bites are unaltered, meaning they haven’t been spayed or neutered. That fact is not based on any one breed but all attacks and bites that are recorded from all breeds. Taking Pit Bulls out the equation isn’t the solution. People will turn their focus to another breed. This is how society and fear works. You can’t eliminate the fear just by taking away one breed. Either destroy all breeds or enact spay and neuter laws.

9) The Fewer Pit Bulls There Are The Fewer Pit Bull Bites

Okay, yes in theory and exact numbers this one is true. But if you lower the number of Pit Bulls the only way to get an accurate assement of the improvement, if there is one, is to look at the overall percentages. They need to take the percentage of Pit Bull related bites from the larger group and compare it to the percentage of Pit Bull related bites from the smaller group. Just looking at the numbers will give you a false sense of improvement.

If there are 1000 Pit Bulls and 20 of them bite and you compare that to having only 100 Pit Bulls where 2 of them bite you feel more secure… Right? Wrong, you never improved the situation, it’s still at 2% will bite. The equation never changed and the problem hasn’t improved at all.

10) All Pit Bulls Are Dangerous

This website has some of the most inaccurate information out on the internet. If you compare their “statistics” to those of actual statistics, like from the CDC and AVMA ( the two sources with real information) you can see a problem in the data. The statement that they are pushing is that Pit Bulls are aggressive and untrustworthy, dangerous even, is a misguided statement by people would have had tragic accidents at the mouths of Pit Bulls. However, it is a small group and in most cases the facts are hazy at best. I’m not saying anything against people who have been bitten or attacked by Pit Bulls but out of thousands of Pit Bulls how many really do attack unprovoked?